In celebration of International Mother Language Day on Monday, Snapchat has partnered with First Languages Australia to launch a series of language learning lenses that help raise awareness and educate young Aussies on Australia's first languages and Indigenous culture.

The day has been officially observed around the world since the United Nations made a concerted attempt to promote linguistic diversity to ensure threatened native languages do not disappear.

Australia is home to more than 750 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, many of which are now endangered.

Each lens uses AR and machine learning to identify different objects and display their name in four Indigenous languages: Wiradjuri (which covers Dubbo and much of central NSW), Yugambeh (south-east Queensland), Wakka Wakka (central Queensland) and Yawuru (Broome in Western Australia).

Over 170 objects across the four languages will be available to begin with, providing Indigenous word translations for common day objects such as 'ear' ('wudha' in Wiradjuri), 'spider' ('wanggarranggarra' in Yawuru) and 'hat' ('binka' in Yugambeh).

The Lenses became accessible globally via Snapchat from Monday, by searching "Learn Wiradjuri", "Learn Yugambeh", "Learn Wakka Wakka" or "Learn Yawuru", or by scanning the xxx

Snapchatters just have to point their cameras at an object to scan it, and the Lens automatically displays the object's English and Indigenous language names in real time, along with an audible clip of the word to help with pronunciation.

"We know millions of young Aussies use Snapchat everyday - so this is an incredible opportunity for them to experience our First Nations' languages in a fun and interactive way on a platform that they love," First Languages Australia CEO Beau Williams said.

"This project will boost recognition of our languages globally and will support our grassroots programs and help to engage our young people."

Geoff Anderson, the Parkes Wiradjuri Language Group coordinator, was one of the key drivers behind the project, and he said it was just another opportunity for people in the region to continue their education.

"They can learn in a fun way and walk around school pointing it at things, and funnily enough the theme this year for First Language Day is 'using technology for multilingual learning', which just fits brilliantly for what we're trying to do," he said.

"If you just start by learning a couple of words a day, that's a great way to start learning more.

"We want as many people understanding the importance of Aboriginal languages as possible.

"There's over 30 Wiradjuri words on the app, and 170 all up, so you can learn the Wiradjuri words for everyday objects."

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